Friday, September 7, 2012

Who knows where inspiration comes from. Perhaps it arises from
desperation. Perhaps it comes from the flukes of the universe, the
kindness of the muses.- Amy TanAnd immersion in random absurdity can be a perfect
remedy to thinking too much. It leads to art and science. It leads to
madness and inspiration. It leads to fun.- Chris Corner of IAMX

Inspiration comes in many forms and shapes. It can be found serendipitiously at any moment (while you shower, eat breakfast, have a walk, meditate, etc... - especially during downtime as then your mind is free and you have the opportunity to be reflective), everywhere and in everything (books, music, photography, movies, beauty, ugliness, news reports, sad/tragic or happy events, people, acts of courage/kindness/cruelty, mistakes, smells, nature, memories, etc...). In order to connect with it, one just needs to open wide his/her soul and heart, be receptive to its calling and remember that it is as slippery as soap, as ephemeral as a rainbow, as fragile as a butterfly and as impalpable as a ghost.It is wildly rampant, exhaliratingly magical, a kind of cosmic drug that sets you on fire, puts you in a semi-shamanic trance, makes you feel invicible and linked to the Universe, an awesome productivity multiplier, a great encourager, an amazing enthusiasmer as well as a terrific motivator. Its purpose is the arousal of our emotions and the elevation of our mind, but sadly, as it is the case with all that has the particularity of being immaterial, you cannot summon it at will or bottle it up for later use.

Inspiration is in seeing a part of the whole with the part of the whole in you.- Kahlil GibranInspirations never go in for long engagements; they demand immediate marriage to action.- Brendan Francis

Just like a vision or revelation, it generally grabs you unexpectedly, comes in a flash, hits you without
warning and is highly perishable. During a
very short lapse of time, ideas sparkle/fuse and start to form, but this state
of awareness doesn't last eternally, so if you don't act immediately and
capture those visions or thoughts on the spot, they tend to fade and disappear as
quickly as it came.

Hence, it is good to know when you are prone to intellectual enlightment (aka peaks of brilliance - mine come mainly in the morning and occasionally in the evening) and always be ready to beat the iron while it's burning hot and make sure that you keep a consistant physical trace (more than scribblings, voice memos or sketches) of your creative meanderings.You have to tap this source before the well of wonders tarishes as illumination will not wait for you. Once the train has left it will not come back,therefore, it is important to run with it, to let it sweep you away, to capitalize and focus completely on it as well as optimize it whenever you have the opportunity and not to be parasited by anything or anyone during these brief periods of sheer clarity. In one word, understand how your think tank functions, learn to make space in your day for your inspiration to proliferate furiously and try to momentarily isolate yourself from the outside world. You'll fastly see results if you follow those basic rules.

Regrettably, it is impossible to be constantly touched by divine grace and unfortunately, sometimes we have to go through a few depressingly and ego-shattering dry spells (writer's/painter's/composer's/etc... block) before we get our mojo back and chanel the spirits of ingenuity again. Happily, these phases are mostly not everlasting and a short break from the routine usually solves the problem. You'll be surpised to see in which manner doing something completely different or escaping to a happy and different place (holidays, a hike, a nap, visiting a friend or family, going out to eat, aimlessly watching a program on TV or surfing the net, etc...) can have a positive impact on your productivety/artistic performance.Thankfully for me, those frustratingly infructuous intervals rarely go on forever. It seems that I am always able to draw inspiration from whatever surrounds me (I even marvel at the stupidest and meaningless of things) and nearly never fails to find subjects to write about or compose innovative eats. I guess this has a lot to do with the fact that I am a person whose brain rarely rests and is like an erupting volcano, a daydreamer with an insatiable curiosity and an individual who has kept my inner child alive.If you give me one simple ingredient and ask me to invent a meal, you can be pretty sure that I'll come up with a recipe which is far from being ordinary and has a zest of originality. Developping dishes without having to cogitate much is one of my strong points as I am capable of summuning my culinary genius easily.For example, a few days ago, I had some quark(fresh cheese which can be found in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Russia, etc...) in my fridge and really wanted to sublime it by transforming it into a fresh, tasty, healthy and summery sauce which could be poured cold over boiled potatoes, accompany hot or cold staples and be used in multiple ways (dip, spread and dressing), so that's how I concocted a succulent and versatile "Quark And Zucchini Sauce". Perfect for this transitional season...

I am really thrilled and proud to announce that Rosa's Yummy Yums is listed on SAVEUR's "Sites We Love"!!! A dream come true... To read my interview, please head over there.

First of all, a heartfelt big congratulation for the Saveur distinction; you deserve it 100% for the beautiful photograph, impassioned text and great recipes. Love this one photo as well as the recipes.

Once again..congratulations on the Saveur interview! It was brilliant! On another note..a delicious note, this sauce looks and sounds wonderful. My BF adores quark via many visits to Europe and meals of Quark and boiled potatoes. He uses Greek Yogurt as a substitute - here. This is also a great sauce to use up my zucchini haul!!

Congrats on Saveur! Very well deserved - your blog is so good. When I'm looking for inspiration, I often find sleeping on it really works - I'm convinced my subconscious solves whatever difficulty that stymies me. Nice recipe, love the shallow focus on the zucchini picture.

Congratulations Rosa !! A musch deserved honour, I love your site and it makes me so happy to see you shining up there.beautiful post and beautiful quotes, everything so well written. Lovely styling, beautiful pictures, and a great recipe.Kudos to you.

Congrats on Saveur and well deserved Rosa. Your blog is so unique and is one of the best!This cheese sauce sounds wonderful, and as always, your photos are stunning! Have a great day, bisous,CheersMamat

It is so Well deserved Rosa! I love quark as it is such a versatile thing to have in the fridge. You can use for sweet as well as for savory. We do eat it for breakfast every morning but your sauce sounds and looks wonderful

What a delightful sauce! You never fail to capture the beauty of a simple yet well-crafted dish, Rosa. I like that you create texture with the creamy cheese. And many congratulations on the feature! So thrilled for you.

I learned about quark from another European blogger. I'm not sure if we have it here, but it definitely sounds delicious and your zucchini sauce... oh looks so good with crackers! I can have that for lunch or snack!